6/5/10

Tent Only camping

Whitney asks:

I was wondering what the go is with the different camping areas. I understand that there is a camping only area that doesn't allow cars, but is in close proximity to Centeroo. And that there is another area in which you camp next to your car. Do you get to choose? You said that the camping only area may fill up rather quickly. I won't be arriving until friday morning. Does this mean I'll most likely be in the parking/camping area way out in the boondocks?

it's a few years old but it is mostly accurate, nothing major has moved AFAIK. Centeroo is the white area in the lower center, that's where all the music is. The green areas just north of Centeroo is tent only, it's quite small in relation to 'roo as a whole. Yellow is accessible (handicapped) camping, orange is VIP, olive is RV, and light blue is day parking. The rest of the campsites (the grey ones) are regular, camp by your car camping. It makes up the vast majority of Bonnaroo, most people (90% at least) just camp by their cars. Some campsites are pretty close, for example, Camp Ivan Drago, #38, the grey area just to the NE of accessible camping, is probably a 6 minute walk to Centeroo. Some of the sites to the north of Bushy Branch Rd. are more like 20+ minutes. When you arrive seems to have no bearing on how close you're parked. The one exception is the campsites to the extreme SE of the map, lovingly referred to as BFE (Bum Fuck Egypt). If you arrive before Thurs morning, they'll let you in, but you'll get camped there. I think that's where the vendors and assorted camp also.

You have a choice to either camp where you're parked or move to tent only. Either way, you'll come in and get parked; you might be close to Centeroo (in which case, stay put) or you might be way out there (think about moving). Then if you want to go to tent only you haul your gear over. You will not be able to drive by and drop your stuff off, so if you're considering tent only, make sure your stuff is portable. Tent only has gotten much more crowded the past few years, by Friday it'll be a bit tight, but you should still be able to camp there, just be polite about it. You've as much right to camp there as anyone else.

They had a "shuttle" last year, just golf carts really and they cost money, $5 I think. Keep in mind that the pdf I linked to is for people camping in "Tent City", which are Bonnaroo's pricey ($750 for the weekend, tix not included) onsite tent rental. They may have perks (like shuttles) that the unwashed masses don't.